The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment revealed in Madalena that, between the school year 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, there was "an increase of 41% in the number of actions and an increase of 27% in the number of participants "in the School Park Programme, an initiative promoted by the Government of the Azores.
 
"We increased the number of actions from 520 to 731 and the number of students from 13,768 to 17,528 on all islands," said Luís Neto Viveiros. The government official spoke at the opening of the 12th Regional Meeting of Environmental Education and the Eco-Schools Seminar.
 
The Park School programme consists in the educational offer of Natural Parks to the school population. It is free and based on the curricular framework stipulated for the Azores with the aim of promoting natural resources and their conservation in the Region.
 
The Secretary for the Environment stressed that this offer is structured in various sub-programmes, including "The Park goes to School," with activities held in school establishments; "The School goes to the Park" that includes the initiative "The School goes to the Centre," with activities organised in the Network of Regional Environmental Centres; "The School goes to Protected Areas," with outdoor educational activities developed in protected areas, geosites and sensitive sites for nature conservation.
 
"The Government of the Azores is well aware that, with regard to environmental matters, the choices made in the present will have an impact on the forthcoming generations of Azoreans," said Neto Viveiros.
 
In this context, the Regional Secretary stressed the launch of an agenda of the School Park programme that "will be made from today by all regional school through electronic platforms; for the first it will also be delivered to the 248 school establishments in physical format."
 
"On the eve of the start of another school year, schools, students and teachers have at their disposal a free education offer of environmental awareness raising activities," stressed the government official.
 
According to the minister, "the goal of extending the vision of sustainable development for the Azores to the entire society and future generations," despite being based on formal education, "should also reach other levels."
 
For this reason, the government official stressed "Open Park," among other regional and international programmes, as a "programme that encompasses all the activities promoted in the areas of Island Natural Parks."
 
This programme, which includes activities suited to the entire community and to those who visit the archipelago.
 
"Also in this programme, we have been increasing the number of initiatives, which grew from 147 in 2014 to 188 in 2015, as well as the number of participants, which rose from 3,250 to 6,047 in the same period of time," Neto Viveiros said, noting that these number represent percentage increases of "28 and 86%, respectively."
 
For the growing success of "School Park" and "Open Park" programmes, the Regional Secretary emphasised the role of the Regional Government's partners in the issues of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development, in addition to that played by teachers, schools or universities, municipalities, non-governmental organisations, local associations and nearly a hundred partner companies of the nine National Parks.
 
The 12th Regional Meeting of Environmental Education and the Eco-Schools Seminar takes place today and tomorrow simultaneously, through videoconferencing in Madalena on Pico Island and in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island.
 
Also for the first time, the works can be followed on streaming on the "You Tube" Channel - Natural Parks of the Azores.
 
The meeting is focused on the theme "Global Understanding: Build links of global thoughts to local actions Azores." It is organised by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment, through the Regional Environment Directorate and Azorina.
 
The theme was chosen taking into consideration the International Year of Global Understanding, an initiative that has stemmed from research programmes on global sustainability established by the International Councils of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.